An electronic device generally includes two exterior features that join together to enclose several components. Due in part to the electronic device including two exterior features joined together at a joint, the electronic device may include an exposed region located at the joint. Despite one or more forces securing the two exterior features together, the exposed region may be vulnerable to ingress from contaminants such as liquids. Further, ingress of liquid contaminants in certain location may cause damage to critical components of the electronic device.
Some solutions may prevent or limit ingress at the exposed region. For example, a rubber gasket may be positioned between the two exterior features at the exposed region. However, in some cases, it is desirable for the electronic device to maintain a consistent positioning of the two exterior features with respect to each other. As such, the gasket requires a consistent pressure all around the perimeter; otherwise, at least one of the exterior features may bulge or form an inconsistent or dissimilar positioning with respect to other locations. Another solution may include an O-ring. An O-ring is generally known in the art to include a circular or elliptical. However, when the exterior features a polygonal shape, such as a rectangle, the shape of the O-ring may differ enough and create an undesirable fit with one of the exterior features. For example, in some cases, the O-ring is too tight in some regions and/or too loose in other regions.
Both the O-ring and the gasket may include other drawbacks. For example, although the two exterior features may be molded and/or machined in order to mate, in some cases, one or both exterior feature may includes some variations in their final design that may nonetheless be within a specified tolerance. However, using a prefabricated O-ring or gasket may not be able to accommodate these variations and accordingly, may not prevent ingress.